The Priestess and the Jinchuuriki
by NarutoxSakura007
Summary: Inuyasha's wish upon the jewel goes wrong and he goes on a killing spree. Kagome, injured by the crazed demon, manages to make it through the well with Kirara and finds them not in her world, but the Naruto world! Inuyasha/Naruto crossover
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!!! This is another Inuyasha/Naruto crossover of two that I have planned****. I've been having fun writing them, so there will possibly be more to come. Anyways, this is yet another Kagome-based crossover set mainly in the Naruto world, so its category may change, as may the rating. Enough with my rambling- on with the story!!!!!! **

_'__Flashback__'_

_"Talking in flashback"_

"Talking in present"

* * *

The quiet of the dark winter's night was broken by the sound of strangled sobs. Sprinting through the depths of Inuyasha's Forest was a young girl garbed in the attire of a simple shrine priestess. Her long mid-back length ebony hair was pulled back in a low ponytail that threatened to come undone at any second. Her blue eyes were widened with fear and wet from crying. Her normally pretty face was marred by the constant stream of tears pouring from her eyes.

The girl ran with all the strength she had left. Her priestess robes were ripped and torn all over, blood pouring from many of the numerous rips in the cloth. Clutching the tattered remains of what once was her backpack, Kagome Higurashi forced herself to keep moving forward and not glance back at the burning remains of the village she had just taken flight from.

She moved as if she was in a dream- no, make that a nightmare. The calmness of the late November night seemed to be mocking the girl who felt like her world had suddenly been plunged into hell. It had all started only a few hours ago………

* * *

_Kagome sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. The remnants of the day's heat was only just starting to vanish. It had been unusually warm for this time of year, which Kagome reflected upon as she picked some of the last herbs of the autumn harvest_

_Placing the last few sprigs in her hand-woven basket, she brushed the dirt from her hands and the knees of her pants before rising and carrying back the herbs to the hut of the village's elderly head priestess, Kaede. As she pushed back the hanging on the door, a small boy with an enormous, oversized fluffy tail bounded up to her._

_"Kagome!" he squealed," Kaede told me to let you know all she needs you to do is draw some water from the spring and you're done for the night."_

_The young girl smiled down at the fox-demon child with shining green eyes and auburn hair at her feet._

_"Thanks Shippo," she said._

_"Did Kaede mention where she wanted me to put these herbs?"_

_Shippo nodded his head._

_"Mm-hm. Over there," he said while pointing __next to the elderly priestess's sleeping mat._

_"Thanks again Shippo!" she called to the vanishing demon, who__scampered outside to play with the village children._

_Placing the basket down in the corner of the small shack, Kagome gripped the edge of the small wooden bucket near the cooking fire in the center of the room. Pausing once to poke around the embers of the fire, she made her way back outside._

_Once she stepped out of the hut, a loud "mew!" brought her gaze down to her feet where a small creature with ruby red eyes blinked up at her._

_"Oh, hello Kirara__!" she greeted as she rubbed her creamy yellow fur._

_The small feline purred with delight as Kagome scratched her black triangular ears. Kagome smiled at the cat. Though she belonged to her friend Sango, she had begun following Kagome around constantly__. Giving the cat's black diamond-shaped mark on its forehead one last scratch, she straightened back up and started her trek to the stream._

_Looking into one of the village's numerous fields of flowers, she spotted the undead priestess, Kikyo, surrounded by a crowd of village children. Kagome smiled and waved to her, and received only a smile back as both of Kikyo's arms had at least three children grasping them. _

_Continuing on down the road, she was delighted to see__ the forms of her close friends Sango the demon-slayer and Miroku the monk._

_"Hey guys!" she called to them as she hurried over._

_"Hello Kagome!" they both greeted her._

_"Where are you guys headed?" she asked curiously._

_"Just up the hill- Miroku's__ set up a picnic there for us to watch the sunset," Sango said happily as she leaned her head against the monk's shoulder._

_"__Wow that__ sounds so romantic!" Kagome sighed._

_"And where are you headed Kagome?" Miroku asked._

_Kagome lifted up the bucket in her hand._

_"Just to the spring to fetch some water," she told them._

_"Well, I hope you two have fun tonight!" she said as she started off again for the stream_

_"Thanks again Kagome! By the way, have you seen Kohaku by chance?" Sango called to her._

_"Yeah, I think he was with Kikyo," she called back._

_"Okay, thanks!" the demon-slayer said as she and the monk started off for their picnic_

_Waving good-bye to them, Kagome smiled to herself. She was so glad Sango had finally gotten her happy ending. With the defeat of Naraku and the completion of the jewel, she was able to save both her younger brother and Miroku. The two warriors had finally gotten married only a month ago and Kagome was sure she was seeing a tell-tale bump from Sango's stomach._

_Watching the happy couple disappear as she rounded a bend in the road, she focused on the task at hand: fetching the water. Upon finally reaching the stream, Kagome dipped the bucket into the cool, clear water._

_As the young priestess bent down for a drink, she was startled by the sudden cold__ wind that blew through. Wiping her mouth dry with the back of her sleeve, she picked the now full bucket__ up once more and straightened back up. Looking off into the distance, she was alarmed to see the sky was a hazy, deep red color._

Something's not right, _she thought worriedly._

_Then, a distant scream reached her ears. The bucket clattered to the ground, forgotten, as she raced back to the village. She stifled a cry of alarm when she saw portions of the village in flames. As she raced down the main road, she was greeted by a mob of screaming, frightened villagers escaping the village._

_Pushing her way through the crowd, Kagome tried to discover what was happening. She spotted Sango's little brother, Kohaku, a little ways ahead of her and ran up to him._

_"Kohaku!" she called._

_He turned his head at the call of his name._

_"Lady Kagome!" he gasped, his dark brown eyes filled with fright._

_"Do you know what's happening?" she yelled to him over the sounds of more villagers approaching._

_"No!" he yelled back._

_"Will you come back with me to Kaede's hut?" she asked him._

_Though his freckled face was still filled with fear, __he nodded his head. Grabbing each other's hand, they ran to the elderly priestess's home._

_As they passed more screaming villagers, Kagome was revolted to see splatters of blood littering the ground. She felt Kohaku's grip on her hand__tighten as they continued up to Kaede's. Kagome tore open the hanging on the door as she peered into the shack._

_"Kaede!" she yelled, looking around for a response._

_Then, she stopped dead at what she saw. A dark red figure__ in the corner crouched down on the floor, its long silver hair streaming over its back and pointed triangular shaped ears sitting on the top of its head._

_"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered._

_The silver dog ears twitched at the sound of his name. Straightening up, he turned to face her. Kagome gasped when she saw blood red eyes with green pupils__ and purple demon markings across his face._

What's happened to him?! Why has he transformed?! _She thought with horror._

_Her gaze went to the half-demon's side and she was astonished to see the Tetsusaiga sheathed there._

What?! If he didn't lose the sword, then how is he like this?! _She thought weakly, as the half-demon growled at her._

_That's when she noticed the new addition around his neck._

_"The jewel?!" she gasped._

_The small jewel emitted a sickly dark purple color, a sharp contrast to its normal warm, light pink._

It's tainted? But how…….? _She asked herself before it finally clicked_.

_He used the jewel._

_When Naraku was defeated, she had given Inuyasha the jewel to make a wish upon it for himself__. He had chosen not to at the time, but held onto it none the less. Now, he had used it to become full demon._

_But something had gone wrong. He was acting exactly he did when he transformed.__ The half-demon growled again and took a step forward. Kagome suddenly was able to make out a crumpled form on the ground behind the Inuyasha. Long, gray sprawled around it, its clothes so drenched with blood, you could hardly tell they were priestess robes._

_"Ka- kaede… no…," she whispered, trying to stop the nausea that threatened to overtake her._

_Inuyasha snarled menacingly at her once more, before lunging at her. She screamed as his claws grazed her side. __Stumbling backwards, Kagome was tripped by a small body on the ground._

_Grinding her teeth together to stop from crying out, she peered at what she had tripped on. Her__ stomach churned violently as she recognized a large fluffy, but bloody, tail._

_"No….. oh god, Shippo! No!" she cried out._

_She reached out a shaking hand to touch his limp form. Placing a hand on his chest, she began crying when she didn't feel a heartbeat, not even a faint one. _

_She was brought back to her senses when Kohaku screamed. Seeing Inuyasha advancing upon the boy cowering on the ground, Kagome flew over and threw herself on top of Kohaku._

_Expecting to feel claws score across her back, she was surprised to instead feel a rush of air over her. Opening her eyes, she saw a large saber-toothed cat demon with swishing twin tails facing off with Inuyasha._

_"Kirara?!" Kagome yelled._

_Kirara snarled at the slowly advancing Inuyasha. The dog demon glared at the giant cat before launching himself into her, scoring his claws into her side__s. Kirara roared and snapped at Inuyasha, who leapt off her and lunged at Kagome, only to ump back in surprise when a sacred arrow just barely missed him. Kagome watched in awe as Kikyo detached herself from the shadows, her bow notched with an arrow, pointed right at Inuyasha._

_"Get going Kagome. Run for it," Kikyo demanded._

_"Kikyo….." Kagome started._

_"Go!!" Kikyo yelled._

_"Right…." Kagome relented._

_Pulling Kohaku up off the ground and grabbing her backpack, the two locked hands again and raced away, leaving Kikyo and Kirara to deal with the threat that was Inuyasha. _

_Running back to where they had started, they joined the remaining villagers running for their lives. Not far up ahead, Kagome's heart swelled when she recognized a person in dark blue and purple monk robes approaching._

_"Miroku!" she yelled._

_"Kagome! What's going on?!" he asked._

_"It's Inuyasha! Where's Sango?!" Kagome demanded._

_"She's coming; what's wrong with Inuyasha?!" he questioned._

_Before she could respond, she saw a girl with long, dark brown hair racing up, her pink kimono and green skirt reflecting __the flames of the fire ominously._

_"Kagome?! What's going on?! Have you seen Kohaku?!" she demanded._

_"He's right here" she said and handed him off to Sango._

_"It's Inuyasha!"_

_"What's wrong with Inuyasha?!" Sango and Miroku asked together._

_"He used the jewel and now he's transformed! Kikyo's back there fighting him with Kirara, and Kaede and Shippo are both dead! You've got to get going!" she cried._

_"But what about you?" her friends asked worriedly._

_"I'm going to try and get to the well. You need to leave now!" she ordered._

_"Okay," Miroku consented, grabbing Sango's hand._

_"Be careful Kagome!" Sango yelled to her as she grabbed Kohaku's hand and all three of them disappeared into the distance._

_As Kagome turned to run into the forest, a pure white__ light soul flew through the air and entered Kagome's body. She felt the tears streaming down her face, for she knew the rest of Kikyo's soul had finally returned to her body. The priestess had been killed at the hands of her former lover, letting Kagome escape._

_She started at the sound of snarling behind her, and turned just in time to see Inuyasha's 'Blades of Blood' slicing through the air towards her. Shielding her face with her arms, the blades ripped through the skin on her arms and legs. Turning on the spot, she pelted into the forest, hoping to evade the blood-lusting demon behind her……_

* * *

And here she was now: running for her life through the forest. Holding her tattered backpack close to her chest, she tried to remember if she was headed in the right direction. A small bit of hope flared in her chest as she thought she knew where she was.

That hope quickly died away as she heard something approaching from behind. Expecting to find Inuyasha slashing at her, she was surprised to see a small, cream-colored cat mew to her.

"Kirara!" she cried, scooping the demon up into her arms.

She let out another weak mew as Kagome rubbed her hand across her blood streaked coat. A loud snarl echoed throughout the forest, causing Kagome to cradle her bag and Kirara before running away as fast as her legs would take her.

Her heart jumped when she finally spotted the Bone Eater's Well, the link between the Feudal Era and her home in the future. Running even faster, she approached the well, just as Inuyasha flew out of the trees.

_No!!! _she thought, horror filling her head with the notion she might not make it to the well in time.

10 feet……… 5 feet…… 3 feet…….. almost there! The silent air was broken once more by Inuyasha's claws ripping through her shoulder. Her mouth opened in a silent cry of pain as blood splashed out of the new wound, splattering across her face.

Her back against the well, she panted heavily, her shoulder burning white-hot with pain. She watched semi-consciously as Inuyasha swooped in for another attack. Using what was left of her strength, she pushed herself backwards into the well.

As she fell, she was relieved to see a familiar blue light envelop her. Through her half-lidded eyes, she was sure she saw Inuyasha's form falling after her.

_No……., _she thought bleakly.

_Please … send me where Inuyasha can't follow ever again, _she prayed in her head.

Suddenly the inside of the well seemed to flash white. It lasted only a few seconds before returning to its normal blue color. Clutching Kirara and her bag, Kagome closed her eyes as she fell into nothingness………

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The transformed Inuyasha had all his thoughts on annihilating the young priestess in front of him. After she had fallen through the well, he had leapt in after her without hesitation. Without warning, the well flashed white before he violently crashed into the hard ground.

Looking back up, the feudal era sky still remained dark and ominous. Sniffing the air, Inuyasha leapt back out of the well and raced into the forest. His thoughts quickly returned to spilling more blood. The priestess was soon forgotten to him as he melted into the quiet night……..

* * *

"Ah! What a perfect day!" a blonde- haired boy with sapphire blue eyes yelled out to no one in particular.

The young ninja clad in black and orange had eaten his fill of ramen, gotten in some training, and had an entire afternoon to do absolutely nothing. Walking through a section of the endless forest surrounding the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the boy named Naruto Uzumaki let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Yes, an afternoon free to do anything would have been glorious if there was actually something to do. Sakura was helping Shizune file some paperwork for Tsunade, Kakashi was off reading his book somewhere, and everyone else either already had plans or was out on missions.

Sighing bitterly again, Naruto looked up to see a grassy clearing with an ancient well in the center.

_What's it called again? _He asked himself.

_The Bone Eater's Well………_

He remembered as a child hearing the other children's parents warning them not to play near there. He had originally been scared of it, but after a while, he realized he was just overreacting. After all, what could a dried up old well do? Send out an evil ghost or something?

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, a ghostly pale hand rose from inside the well. Freezing in his tracks, he watched with wide eyes as someone dragged themselves out of it and dropped what looked like a yellow shredded sack.

Recovering from his initial shock, Naruto watched carefully as the figure stumbled towards him.

"Uh………… hello? Hey, are you alright?" he called out cautiously.

The person lifted their head, and he saw a girl's face with half-open eyes, before she crumpled to the ground. Sprinting over, Naruto rolled her over onto her back. Her long black hair was barely kept in place by a white hair tie and what looked like blood smeared across her face.

She was dressed in the weirdest clothes he had ever seen (and that was something coming from him!). He nearly leapt out of his skin as a loud "mew!" resonated in his ears. Turning his head, he saw a small cream-colored cat with black ears, a black diamond in the of it's forehead, and startlingly vivid red eyes staring at him.

Making her way over to him on her dainty black paws, she nosed his hand and then nosed the fallen girl on the ground. She stared back up at him and mewed again. Guessing it wanted him to help the collapsed girl, he focused back on her. Tentatively, he reached out a hand and shook her shoulder.

"Hey! Can you hear me? Are you okay?" he asked, worry seeping into his voice when he got no response.

He drew back his hand in surprise to find it covered in warm, red blood. He moved her hair out of the way to find her shoulder saturated with blood. Reacting quickly, he gathered her in his arms and dashed towards the center of the village, the small cat racing at his heels………

* * *

Kagome drifted back into consciousness briefly. She felt like she was floating in a fog and heard someone calling out desperately for help.

"Help! I've got an injured girl here! She needs help! Someone get Granny Tsunade!!!" the person carrying her yelled.

Forcing her eyes open a little bit, she looked at her rescuer. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen.

_Thank-you……… whoever you are, _she thought with gratitude towards her savior, whom she thought resembled an angel.

Her eyes sagging shut, she let herself fall back in darkness again……..

* * *

**And now I'll leave it off for now. I've been sitting here forever typing this, getting interrupted by every reason possible known to man. I'll try to update soon, but after Tuesday, final exams start so I'll be studying and preparing for them and not writing. Anyways, please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy ****Schnike****s****!!!!!! I didn't think I get so much feedback in such a short time!!!!! Thank you to all my reviewers!!!!!!**** I am so grateful; I'll post the second chapter before I retire to my room to study!

* * *

**

"Talking"

_'Thinking'

* * *

_

It seemed like ages before she finally came to. She was awakened by the sound of peoples' voices murmuring together. Thought they felt like lead, she forced her eyes to open. Her vision was horribly blurry, she could hardly take in any of her surroundings. She moaned softly to herself, attempting to lift her head without success.

Dropping it back down on a pillow, Kagome briefly heard excited whispering and the sound of footsteps racing away before it became quiet again. She closed her eyes again and sighed. It was only a few minutes later when her senses began to return, almost as if she had suddenly walked out of a deep fog.

Forcing her tired eyes open once more, the priestess studied her environment. She found herself situated in a clean, white-sheeted bed, completely alone in the deserted room. Though she was settled comfortably on fluffy pillows and a good mattress, her whole body ached.

Most of the pain was coming from her one shoulder, but both arms and legs stung as well. She studied the I.V. inserted in a vein in her left arm, wondering in how bad of shape she was in. After a while, she grew bored of looking over the plain, white room in which she was housed. She instead chose to focus on the window next to her bed. She could hear faint voices and sounds of activity, but could not see anything from her spot in bed.

When the door to the room suddenly opened, Kagome redirected her attention there. Two women entered: a timid looking girl in a gray dress with short dark hair, and a very regal looking blonde-haired woman in a gray shirt and green jacket.

"So you're finally awake? That's good. You've had us pretty worried," the blonde woman said.

Kagome attempted to sit up, only to have pain attack her shoulder. The dark-haired girl rushed over and helped prop her up on her pillows.

"Take it easy. That's a nasty wound to your shoulder. You don't want to overdo it for a bit," she told her, concern evident in her dark brown eyes.

A loud meow reached Kagome's ears. A very familiar tiny cat leapt onto the bed and bounded up to her face.

"Kirara," Kagome sighed, as the demon purred and rubbed its head affectionately against hers.

"So she's yours?" the blonde woman asked, which the priestess nodded her head in response to while stroking the feline's head.

"Where am I?" she finally asked, voicing the major question that had been nagging at her since she had awoken.

"At the Hidden Leaf Hospital," the woman replied.

_A hospital?__ What happened? _She asked herself.

Then, memories of the night before resurfaced in her head. The village, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Kikyo, Kaede, and Shippo……..

Tears welled in her eyes at the thought of her dead friends. She hoped with all her might that Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku had made it to safety.

"What's your name?" the blonde woman asked

"Kagome; Kagome Higurashi," she answered quietly.

"Kagome, huh? Well Kagome, would you mind telling us what happened to you and where you're from? Which village?"

"Village?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"Yes, your village. We didn't find any I.D. or a headband on you, but we did find this," the blonde said, withdrawing a badly torn, yellow colored cloth.

"Yeah, that's my- err, what's left of my bag," Kagome said dismally.

"It is?! But we found school textbooks in there! Does that mean you're a civilian?! That's rather impressive you made it here with those injuries!" the dark-haired woman rambled on.

"So if this is yours, then you're definitely not a ninja?" the blonde woman asked.

_Ninja?!_

"No, I'm not a ninja," Kagome replied slowly, wondering if they were joking.

"Hmm……. Interesting. Well, ninja or not, you must have come from a village," the woman said.

"I don't know-," she started, only to be interrupted as the door was thrown open.

A blonde-haired boy stood in the doorway looking straight at her.

"So she is awake! Why didn't someone tell me?!" he yelled.

The blonde woman sighed in irritation.

"Because, we needed to ask her some questions and you'd only serve as a distraction," she answered.

"Questions? What're you interrogating her for?! She's not a criminal! And I'm not a distraction!!!" he yelled at the other blonde.

But he'd already lost the argument- Kagome only had eyes for him now. She stared at the strange boy in front of her, dressed solely in black and orange. His spiky, unkempt hair was not what brought her attention to the top of his head- it was the thing tied around it. It was by far the weirdest thing she'd ever seen (and for a time-travelling priestess who fought demons 500 years in the past, that was saying something): cloth with what looked like metal attached in the center with a strange spiral-like symbol etched on it. His slightly tanned face had 3 whisker-like markings on each cheek.

Everything about him intrigued her. She was startled out of her dream-like state as she noticed he was yelling with the blonde woman.

"Listen, I'm not distracting anyone so just let me stay Granny Tsunade!" he argued.

"Granny….. Tsunade?" she questioned.

Both blondes stopped their heated argument to stare at her with dumb-founded expressions on their faces.

"Oh, that's right! We never introduced ourselves!" the dark-haired woman laughed.

"I'm Shizune, and that's our 5th Hokage, Lady Tsunade," Shizune told the girl in bed.

"And next to her is Naruto Uzumaki. He's the one who saved you."

"Naruto….," Kagome rolled the name off her tongue.

The blonde boy grinned at her while Tsunade sighed irritably again.

"Anyways, we should pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted," she said while shooting a glare at the blonde boy, who in response stuck out his tongue.

"Can you tell us exactly what happened to you?" Tsunade asked.

Kagome faltered for a minute. What could she tell them?! Telling a group of strangers about the well linked to her world did not seem like the smartest idea.

"Well, I don't know if you'll believe me," she said while stroking Kirara's back, "But I'll try to. See, it all started……."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"…….and then I fell in the well and here I am," she finished.

She looked at her listeners to see Naruto and Shizune looking at her thunder-struck. Tsunade observed her with an emotionless face. Kagome's face darkened.

"You don't believe me, do you? You just think I'm crazy," she said, hurt and sadness seeping into her voice.

"No one said!" Shizune said quickly while laughing nervously.

She stopped from the look on Kagome's face.

"Hmm……… So you were attacked by a demon and you ran all the way here and fell into the well. And this demon just up and left?" Tsunade asked.

Kagome nodded her head. She had told them about Inuyasha and the others, but had failed to mention about the well connecting to her world. As she looked into the Hokage's brown eyes, she was sure that the woman knew she was keeping something from them. She inwardly shivered, but kept a straight face as she stared at her.

"Interesting………Well, now that I've heard your story, I have to file a report, but I'll be back to check on you later," Tsunade spoke before standing up.

Shizune grabbed the clipboard at the end of the bed and handed it to Tsunade before they both headed out the door. That left all but three- Kagome, Kirara, and Naruto. Kagome directed her attention to the sleeping Kirara in her lap. A long awkward silence ensued between the boy and the girl.

"So……………," Naruto began, attempting to break the silence.

"You really were friends with demons?"

Kagome looked up at him curiously.

"Yes…….," she answered slowly.

"Oh," he said simply.

"Is that a problem?" she asked.

"Well, demons aren't usually good are they? I mean, wasn't it a demon who hurt you?" he questioned.

"Yes, but he wasn't always like that," she tried to explain.

He still looked thoroughly unconvinced. She sighed deeply and let it go.

"So, what's a Hokage?" she asked, trying to change the subject to something less touchy.

"Oh. Well, a Hokage is like the head ninja of the entire village. The old lady you just saw- Granny Tsunade- she's the Fifth Hokage," he explained.

"So she's a ninja?" Kagome asked with interest.

"Yep. Just like me- and most of the village," he told her.

"A whole village of ninjas?" she asked incredulously, to which he nodded his head vigorously.

"Wow," she said in amazement.

The only type of ninja she had ever heard of where ones from Saturday morning cartoons or cheesy action movies. Yet she was actually staying in a village full of ninjas.

"When you feel well enough, I can show you around the village," he offered.

"Why not now?" she asked, before beginning to pull the I.V. out of her arm.

"I don't know if you should be doing that," he said.

"I really just need to get out of here. I hate hospitals," she explained.

He grinned at her statement.

"Me too," he concurred.

Pulling her shredded bag up to her face, she rummaged through for a set of clothing.

"Here we are!" she smiled happily as she withdrew a pink kimono and green skirt identical to Sango's.

"Do you need me to leave?" Naruto asked turning red as she began pulling off her hospital gown.

"Oh- um, you can just turn around!" Kagome told him, blushing red as well.

After the black and orange clad ninja had turned away, she put on the kimono, taking special caution not to upset her shoulder, before pulling on the skirt. Her entire body pulsed painfully as she tried to stand, stiff from not moving for so long.

"Here, let me help," Naruto said as he ran over to her.

Helping her up, he steadied her before she almost toppled over.

"Legs are asleep," she grunted softly.

"How long was I actually asleep," she asked him as he supported her.

"About three days," he answered.

_Nice, _she thought dryly, understanding why her body didn't want to cooperate.

"Come on Kirara," she called.

The two-tailed cat leapt off the bed and followed at her heels as she left the room with the help of Naruto. The three managed to make it down the hall, Kagome clutching Naruto's arm from the pain of walking on sore and scratched up legs. They somehow made it all the way out of the hospital without being stopped by anyone, for which Kagome was grateful.

As they walked outside, a breeze was blowing was blowing through the trees and reaching her face. She reveled in it, remembering how not long ago she had believed she would never feel the wind again, among other things.

"Kagome," Naruto interrupted her thoughts.

"Do you think you can walk through the village without hurting yourself?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine," she replied, taking a step forward.

Immediately, pain coursed through her legs, causing her to drop on the ground.

"Ow," she moaned softly, as Kirara nosed her cheek in concern.

"Hey, are you okay?!" he yelled in concern as he kneeled beside her.

"Ooh. Yeah, I think I am," she replied, before her face gained a confused expression when he turned so that his back was facing her.

"Hang on. I have an idea," he told her before easing her onto his back.

"There! I'll carry you," he explained brightly.

"Okay," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carefully stood up, holding her legs gently, so as not to cause her any more pain.

As Naruto carried her throughout the village, Kagome could only gaze in awe at the spectacle that was the Hidden Leaf Village. So many people, and many of them wearing the same thing around their heads as Naruto. The village was filled with so much activity, its citizens bustling about with their daily lives.

"……..and there's the Yamanaka Flower Shop," he pointed out yet another building for her.

"And those are the Hokage Stone Faces."

She followed his gaze up the mountain straight ahead and gasped at the five stone faces staring out over the village.

"Wow!" she breathed, her eyes still lingering on the carvings.

"Each head represents a Hokage- from the First to the Fifth," he explained.

"And someday my face will be up there too, when I become Hokage!!!"

Kagome broke her gaze from the mountain to look at the blonde carrying her.

"So that's your goal- to become Hokage?" she asked.

He nodded his head vigorously, a bright smile stretched across his face.

"Yep! The greatest of them all!" he declared.

During their trek throughout the village, Naruto had explained to her the basics of ninjas. She understood the order in which they ranked: lowest Genin, then Chunin, Jonin, ANBU, and then the Hokage themselves.Kagome realized how far of a climb the boy still had to reach his dream (he had confided in her that he was still a Genin). But something told her he could do it. Smiling to herself, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you will. I can just feel it," she whispered.

Naruto was glad she couldn't see his face, which was turning as red as a cherry.

"Um…….. well, let's keep going!" he said hastily.

As they proceeded down the road, a group of people appearing to be around Naruto's age came into view.

"Naruto, who are they?" Kagome asked.

"Some of my friends. I want you to meet them!" he exclaimed as he ran up to them.

"Hey, it's Naruto!" one of them yelled, causing all of them to look over as the trio approached.

"Hey!" Naruto greeted them all.

"Hi Naruto!" a pink-haired girl greeted him warmly.

"Oh! Who's that with you?" she asked curiously as he let Kagome slide off his back and onto her feet.

"This is Kagome," he introduced her.

"She's the girl I found in the forest the other day."

"Kagome, this is my teammate and best friend Sakura," he said while gesturing to the pink-haired, green-eyed girl closest to him.

"Hi!" Sakura greeted her warmly while waving friendly at her.

"Hello," Kagome returned after waving back.

"Over there is Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji," Naruto continued, pointing to a chubby light brown haired boy with a bag of potato chips, a blonde haired girl in all purple, and the dark-haired boy next to her, who was staring up at the sky.

"Hey," Chouji greeted with a smile, the spirals on his cheeks rising high on his face.

"Hi!" Ino said with a smile, before elbowing the boy staring off into the sky.

"Ow! What a drag…………. Oh, hi," he greeted her after regaining his composure.

"That's better Shikamaru!" Ino praised before embracing him from behind, causing him to sigh and mumble something incoherently.

"And that's Hinata and Shino," Naruto pointed to a girl with long, bluish hair and pale eyes and a boy so covered up, that all you could see of him was his eyes, which were hidden behind sunglasses.

"H-hello," Hinata stuttered and avoided her gaze shyly.

"Hello," Shino also replied, only slowly and clearly, in a mysterious way.

"And that's-," Naruto started to say, but was shoved aside by a boy with wild, unkempt brown hair and red triangular marks on his face.

"Kiba Inuzuka," he said with a grin while holding out his hand, which she shook.

"And this is my dog Akamaru," Kiba said, indicating to the enormous white dog next to him.

Kagome stuck out her hand for him to sniff, which he did, before gently scratching the back of his head, earning a lick and a woof from the pleased dog. Kiba grinned at her.

"You're pretty good with dogs," he said before dodging a punch intended for him, courtesy of Naruto.

"Jackass!" the blonde growled.

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that. I spent a lot of time dealing with dogs," she admitted, thinking back to the canines she had dealt with- Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Koga and Shippo.

Kiba eyed her, impressed, while Naruto stood glowering at him- partly for being knocked aside, and partly because both dark-haired humans weren't paying any attention to him. A meow resounded through the air as Kirara slinked between her legs. The girls all let out little "aw!"'s while the feline stared at Akamaru, who was staring at her, stock still.

The two-tails strolled right up to him, confidence apparent in each of her steps. The dog leaned down so that they were nose-to-nose, before both sniffed each other. The canine wagged his tail and woofed once, to which the feline mewed in response.

"That is one brave cat," Kiba commented, looking first at the less than a foot tall cat and then at his over three foot tall dog.

"That's Kirara for you," Kagome said with a small smile.

Kirara leapt up into her waiting arms as the females of the group flocked over to them.

"She's so cute!" Sakura squealed.

"Absolutely adorable!" Ino sighed.

"May I pet her?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Sure- you can even hold her," Kagome replied, while placing the cat demon in the quiet girl's arms.

The other two kunoichi both surrounded Hinata to each pet and cuddle the cat. The priestess watched them silently, her face passive. Three female ninja stood before her, and she couldn't help but wonder how strong they were. As she was inspecting them, Naruto approached her.

"Do you want to keep looking?" he questioned.

"Sure," she responded while stepping closer to him.

Bending down in front of her, she knew he wanted her to let him carry her again. However, she hesitated.

"Naruto, this isn't too much trouble for you is it? 'Cause if it is, I can just walk," she said softly, to which he vigorously shook his head side-to-side.

"No, not at all! You're really light, almost as if I'm not carrying anything," he assured her.

The corners of her lips rose in the making of a smile.

"Okay," she caved, wrapping her arms around his neck once more as he lifted her off the ground.

"We're off!" Naruto told the others as he began walking through them.

"Come on Kirara!" Kagome called, causing the cat to leapt out of the kunoichis' grasps and follow them.

A chorus of "bye!"s and "see ya!"s was their reply, waving good-bye to the trio as they set off. After a minute or two of more walking, a thought occurred to Kagome.

"Hey Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think they'll have noticed I'm gone- at the hospital, I mean," she said while watching Kirara trot along besides them.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking it over.

"Yeah, I'm sure they do," he said.

"Oh," she said simply, wondering how much trouble she'd be in once they found she was gone.

* * *

"So the ANBU have reported back?" Tsunade asked her assistant.

"Yes! They scouted the area where she was found but didn't find anything," she informed her.

The duo continued down the hall in silence, each deep in their own thoughts.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune began.

The Hokage snapped out of her daze.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do you believe Kagome's story?" the dark-haired woman asked.

Tsunade didn't respond immediately.

"Somewhat. I do believe she was attacked by a demon, I can't think of a kind of animal that leaves that sort of wound," she said.

"But I don't think she's telling us everything."

"What will you do?" Shizune asked.

"Well, she might be open to talking later. She's just been subject to witnessing friends die and suffered some bad injuries. She might just need time to recover from the shock before she feels like telling us the whole story. But if she still sticks with that story, I might need to hand her over to Shikamaru to get the full truth. But for now, let's just give her time," the Hokage explained.

Shizune didn't persist on the subject and they let it drop. They remained silent until they reached their destination. Opening the door, the younger of the two plastered a smile on her face.

"Kagome, we're back! I hope you've been resting w-," she started, only to stop upon finding the room to be deserted.

"She's gone!" she exclaimed as she tore off the covers on the bed.

Tsunade remained rooted in the doorway, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Naruto," she growled knowingly under her breath.

* * *

The genin and priestess were almost completely done with their tour of the village as the sun began its descent out of the sky. As they neared a stretch of apartment buildings, they slowed down, coming to a halt in front of one of the cheaper looking ones.

"That's where I live," Naruto announced.

Kagome stared at the building for a moment before they started moving again. Ascending a couple flights of stairs, the trio came to a halt in front of one of the numerous doors as Naruto fumbled for his key.

"The one time I do lock the door and I lose it!" he grumbled.

Grinning triumphantly, he withdrew a key from his pocket before pushing it into the lock and turning it. Throwing open the door, he walked into the house before gently setting her down. She looked around his quarters as he went to shut the door.

It was a small apartment, but not super small. She could tell they were in the main room, which consisted of the kitchen and a small area that she supposed qualified as a family room, although it was just a couch. Spotting two other doors, she presumed they led to his room and a bathroom. There were a few articles of clothing strewn about, but otherwise it was relatively clean.

"It's not much, but it's a roof over my head so I can't complain," he commented as he resumed his place by her side.

"I think it's very nice," she assured him, looking once more around the house.

"You hungry?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah," she admitted, her stomach rumbling its agreement.

"Hang on. I'll fix something up," he promised, opening the cabinets in the kitchen.

From her seat at the table, she watched him rummage around for ingredients for a meal. She didn't know what drew her attention to him. Perhaps it was just gratitude for saving her life, or maybe it was how bizarre of a character he was.

_Or maybe it's because you think he's hot, _a voice in her head whispered.

Her face reddened at this thought and she shook her head to clear it of such thoughts. No, that couldn't be it! She wouldn't deny he was handsome- really handsome, actually. But she didn't like him like that, she couldn't! She had just met him! She was dragged out of her mental battle as he held out a steaming bowl in front of her.

"Here! I hope you like it," he said, placing the bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of her.

Staring at the meal, she was surprised to find it to be piping hot ramen.

"You like ramen?" she asked.

"Like it? I love it!" he exclaimed with a grin.

"Ramen's my favorite food!"

She stared at him in disbelief.

_He's just like Inuyasha! _She thought dryly.

Shrugging her shoulders, she snapped apart the chopsticks and dug in. Ramen seemed like a gourmet meal to her, her stomach agreeing happily.She finished with a satisfied sigh, stomach now full. Naruto swept her bowl off of the table and dumped it in the sink, not bothering to clean it. His soon joined it, as well as Kirara's (who, Kagome noticed was also given ramen by the ninja) as he cleared the rest of the table. Kagome tried to stifle a yawn before he came back to the table, but he still saw it.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted sheepishly.

He stared out the kitchen window.

"Jeez, I didn't know it was that dark out!" he said, before crossing the room.

"Hang on," he mumbled to her, disappearing through one of the doors.

Kagome listened to what sounded like a cat fight: loud thumping and what sounded like something crashing to the floor. She stood up in concern.

"Is everything all right?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah! Be out in a sec!" was his muffled response, as more crashing sounded.

A little skeptical, she rose from the table and gently pushed open the door. Her eyes were greeted with clothes flying through the air as Naruto cleared the floor of his room. Pushing/Throwing them all in his closet, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright. You can sleep here tonight," he said, gesturing towards his bed.

"No, I can't take your bed away from you!" she said.

"It's alright. I'll take the couch," he assured her.

"No, I'll sleep on the couch. You take the bed," she persisted.

"It's fine. You take the bed and I'll take the couch," he insisted.

"No you take the bed," she ordered.

"No, you take the bed!" he argued.

"You!"

"You!"

"I'm not sleeping in your bed," she stated.

"Well neither am I!" he declared.

Both stared at each other in annoyance. Finally, Kagome broke her gaze and walked away.

"Hey, where're you going?" he demanded.

She strode over to the couch and plopped down. He exited his bedroom to see her situate herself comfortably.

"Hey!!!" he yelled, running over.

"I have the couch; now you can take your bed," she said with a smile.

"No, I'm not taking the bed," he argued.

"Well, it looks like you don't have a choice," she told him sweetly.

"You think so?" he questioned her, his eyebrow raised.

"Move over."

"Hey! What're you doing?!" she demanded as he pushed her out of the center.

"I'm sleeping on the couch!" he stated loudly, rolling onto the couch as well.

"You can take the bed."

"I'm not moving!"

"Well neither am I!"

Both were incredibly uncomfortable; they were almost lying on top of each other. But neither would admit it or get up and move, each too stubborn.

"You still sure you want to sleep on the couch?" he asked.

"Yeah. How 'bout you?" she responded.

"Yeah."

Kirara, who had been sitting quietly as they initially argued, stood up and walked into Naruto's room. Bounding up onto his bed, she curled right up in the center, listening to the two humans bicker from the couch over who should move. Needless to say, Kirara would be the only one sleeping well that night.

* * *

**And done!!!! That took longer than it should have to write, but everyone in my house has been bugging me all day ****(F.Y.I.- I have a large family;**** I'm one of 6 children****, and 4 of those 5 siblings were here today, plus my 2 parents) so I haven't had time. Anyways, this will be the last update of the week, I can promise you that. 'Till then I suppose. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry this has taken so long to post, but I've been having some trouble at school and at home so I couldn't really access a computer. Anyways, I want to thank all of my lovely reviewers who have given me a total of 55 reviews!! I really didn't expect that many for the first few chapters!! Thanks a lot you guys!! You rock!!**

**On another note, people have been asking me some questions about some of the story so I shall answer some of them here:**

**This is during Shippuden, after the time skip so Sasuke has defected from Konoha.**

**Sakura is much nicer to Naruto in Shippuden, if you don't already know. Even if she still knocks him around some, she doesn't really hate and beat him to a pulp anymore.**

**The Rookie 9 and Team Gai are around 14 or 15 at the time, while Kagome is probably just about 16.**

**So, if you have any other questions, please post them in a review and I'll do my best to clarify them. Now for the long overdue chapter!!**

* * *

The next morning, Kagome woke up stiff and sore. Sharing a small couch between two teenagers could do that to you. Rolling over, she groaned from sleep-deprivation and soreness, before glaring angrily at the rays of sunlight streaming down on her face. Rubbing her eyes, she heard her companion awaken, moaning slightly.

"Ow," he complained softly, rubbing his rigid neck.

"Good morning!" she said, quickly drawing a smile onto her face.

"How did you sleep?"

He opened one eye and eye and stared at her for a minute before burying his face into the couch and grunting something inaudible into the cushions. Smiling at his response (or lack of a response), the priestess sat up with a yawn, stretching her arms out to either side. Noticing her kimono's descent down her shoulder, Kagome pulled up the fabric, only to have it begin to slide down again. Pulling it up more tightly, she growled softly as it slipped off her shoulder again. Giving up on it for the moment, she stared at the kitchen window from her spot on the sofa.

Through the window pane, she could spot the morning sun already high in the sky, shining brightly down on the village. Another day was already starting. It had now been 4 days since she had traveled through the well and ended up in this world. Her eyes darkened as she once again thought of her feudal era friends, wondering what they were doing right now, or if they were even still alive.

Her musing was interrupted when a loud 'crack!' erupted behind her as the door flew across the room. She let out a loud 'eek!' as Naruto shot up next to her.

"Wha-what?!" he demanded, twisting frantically around to try and spot the intrusion.

His wild movements caused the blonde jinchuuriki to lose his seating on the couch, sending him tumbling to the floor, but not before dragging Kagome down with him, as they were tangled within the same blanket. Entering through the recently 'renovated' doorway stormed Tsunade, followed shortly behind by Shizune. Glaring around the room, the Hokage spotted a flailing body on the floor covered by a blanket. Ripping it off its occupants, she immediately charged into lecture.

"Naruto!! Do you have any idea wh-," she thundered, only to stop dead as she observed the beings on the floor more carefully.

Instead of finding just one person as she had intended, she found two people. It might not have phased her so much if not for the……………. interesting position…… that they were discovered in. There lay on the floor both Naruto and Kagome, with Naruto lying on top of the latter, basically pinning her to the ground. Kagome, beneath him, was sprawled out with part of her kimono almost all the way off of her torso, revealing a fair amount of skin. Both teenagers looked at up at her with similar dazed expressions and red tinges across their faces. Behind the 5th, Shizune drew in a short breath, obviously coming to the same conclusion she did.

"Well," she began again, trying to regain her composure," I wasn't interrupting something was I?"

Both genin and priestess looked at each other in confusion before looking at the positions they were in. Instantaneously, both received the same realization and separated as quickly as possible, redder in the face than they had been not only a moment before.

"W-wait! It's not what you think!!" Naruto spluttered as Kagome hastily pulled her kimono back up and held it in place.

"I-she-we didn't do anything!!" he explained putting his hands in front of him defensively, as if expecting a fatal blow to come from the Sannin.

The Hokage took a moment to take in a deep, calming breath before speaking again.

"Honestly, I would like to say a lot to you right now, but it will have to wait till later, after I discussed what I came here to."

The jinchuuriki's tense, anxious stance relaxed as he believed he had dodged a bullet there, only to draw back into himself as the woman lashed out at him.

"Naruto!! What were you thinking?! Dragging a girl away from the hospital, and in her condition no less!! Are you out of your mind?! This by far has got to have been one of your dumbest decisions yet!!" she thundered, a murderous gleam entering into her already enraged eyes.

"Tsunade, please!!" Kagome tried to intervene, only to regret it a moment later as the older woman's steaming glare was now fixated on her.

"It wasn't Naruto's idea, it was mine!! I'm the one to blame."

For a minute or so, the Sannin scrutinized the priestess silently with a hard, icy stare. When she finally did speak, her tone very much matched her gaze.

"That was very reckless and foolish of you," she spoke sharply.

Kagome could feel the disapproval and stern reproach radiate off the village leader. Her face felt hot as she felt shame and embarrassment course through her veins; she was vaguely reminded of feeling like a child being scolded by a disappointed parent for doing something they knew they shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, staring at her with genuine regret.

After a moment or two, the anger dissipated from the blonde woman's eyes, replaced with warm understanding.

"It's fine, so long as you know that what you did was wrong. No one got hurt, but you did worry quite a few of the nurses. I think it was good for them, though; it might teach them to pay a bit more attention to their patients next time," she remarked quietly, more to herself and Shizune than to her two listeners.

"Well then, since you were absent from the hospital this morning, you missed your re-evaluation of that shoulder of yours. We'll have to do it here now I suppose," she said, motioning her to come closer.

After ushering Naruto away, both medics bent over the priestess, pulling her kimono down to reveal her injured shoulder. As the bandages were taken off, Kagome was surprised to feel almost no pain. After the last strip had been removed, Shizune gasped while Tsunade's eyes widened.

"Amazing," she murmured, running a hand gently over the wound.

Kagome stared at where their gazes were trained, to find not a mangled, bloody mess as she had expected, but an almost fully repaired shoulder. The only signs that she had been injured were the dark red scars stretched across her skin.

"Well, you definitely won't need any more bandages and you don't need to go back to the hospital. But how………..?" she whispered, trailing off silently.

"I'll just fix up the rest before I discharge you," Tsunade said, regaining her voice.

Placing a hand directly over the red-colored skin, it was enveloped in a green visible aura, causing Kagome's eyes to widen and catch her full attention on the medic's work. A minute later, the glow surrounding the hand dissipated as the Hokage drew back and inspected her work.

"Alright. It shouldn't trouble you anymore. However, you should know that the scars are still there," Tsunade said.

"They may fade with time, but I'm not certain. This was a demon that did this and they're totally unpredictable. I can't be sure just yet."

Kagome looked back at her shoulder again staring blankly at the lighter-colored, but still prominent scars. Pulling the kimono back up, she fixed her attire as Naruto walked back over to her.

"So she'll be fine now?" he asked Tsunade.

"Yes. Just make sure not to overexert yourself. Now then," the Hokage began while standing up," I have business to attend to, so you two are off the hook for now. Just try to stay off of each other."

Neither saw the smile on her face as she turned away after seeing their red, blanching faces. As she walked out the door, she turned back to face the two teenagers.

"Stay out of any more trouble you two," she advised, her brown eyes holding a hidden warning.

"Of course!" Kagome assured her.

"Yeah, yeah….," Naruto said in a bored tone.

The blonde-woman turned and vanished from sight, Shizune scampering after her. A moment later, Naruto ran across the room and stuck his head out the doorway.

"Hey! What about my door?! Come back and fix it!" he yelled after them.

After a few seconds, he retreated back into the house angrily.

"She left! Stupid, fat, ugly, old grandma!" he snarled under his breath.

He looked back up at Kagome, who was staring at him strangely.

"Uh……hey, are you hungry?" he asked.

"A little, yeah," she answered, partially truthful, looking at her shoulder as Kirara leapt up upon it.

In reality, she was very hungry but she felt she had already imposed enough on him and didn't want him to go through any extra trouble because of her.

"Good! I want to take you out to my favorite place!" he exclaimed brightly before grabbing her arm and pulling her out the door after him.

Before she even could regain balance on one foot, she had discovered that they were already out on the street, racing along the dirt road.

"Where are we going?" she called to the blonde boy hauling her after him.

"You'll see!" was all he said.

Kagome couldn't recognize a single building or landmark pointed out to her only just yesterday as they blazed through the village. Almost as soon as she opened her mouth to speak again, they came to a dead halt in front of a small building with billowing hangings as a door from the bustle of the street. Marching forward, Naruto knocked the hangings aside and pushed her inside ahead of himself.

Almost immediately her nose was accosted by a warm, flavorful aroma that seemed so familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her blonde companion had already taken the liberty of seating himself at one of the bar stools surrounding the counter and she joined him a moment afterwards.

As if on cue, two workers appeared from seemingly nowhere and stood before them. One was an older man with graying hair while the other was a young woman with straight brown hair and soft features.

"Hello Naruto!" the girl greeted him warmly, looking at him with a smile.

"So what'll it be today?" the man asked, already turned to prepare the order.

"One large order of barbecued pork ramen!" he replied enthusiastically.

He turned his head and looked over at Kagome expectantly, while she stared back at him blankly. She still couldn't believe that she had heard him correctly.

_More ramen?! This guy is unbelievable!! _she thought in wonder, before shaking her head and turning back and facing the ramen worker.

"Um, may I have a small order of chicken ramen please," she said politely, drawing the attention of both workers.

"Oh, so you're with Naruto here?" the old man asked, before turning back to make both meals after receiving a vigorous head bob from Naruto.

"Hmm. I don't think I've ever seen you before," the woman commented after observing the priestess carefully.

"Are you from around here?"

"No, I………. I'm from a far off place," she said cautiously, hoping to not sound too vague or suspicious.

_Very, very far off,_ she mentally noted.

The woman didn't press her any further, though, as she turned around to assist the older man.

Not long after, two steaming bowls of ramen were placed in front of the two with pairs of chopsticks. Naruto instantly snapped his chopsticks apart and dug in while Kagome took her time in observing her own bowl before picking up her set and snapping them apart. Kirara's 

head peeked out from behind the girl's curtain of black hair and sniffed at the air as she brought a serving of ramen up to her mouth.

"Ooh, that cat is adorable!!" the female worker squealed as the demon leapt down to closer to inspect the dish of steaming noodles.

"I think we have some prepared fish in the back, let me get some!"

After she had disappeared into the backroom, the older man watched the two-tails as she settled down next to Kagome's bowl.

"Huh. Never seen a cat with two tails before. You see something new every day, I suppose," he remarked.

"You won't find another one like her; she's, uh, a rare breed," Kagome told him.

He seemingly nodded his head in understanding and turned to make another order of ramen for Naruto, as an empty bowl was placed down before him.

"By the way, if you're friends with Naruto, you'll probably be here quite a lot, so my name's Teuchi and that was my daughter Ayame you just met," he said above the sizzling of the cooking noodles.

"I'm Kagome," she introduced herself, as Ayame returned with fish in tow.

"So, how are you going to pay for it today, Naruto?" Teuchi asked the blonde, who was devouring another bowl of ramen.

"Up front. I've got the cash right here!" he said while digging into his pocket and bringing out a wad of bills.

Kagome began searching her kimono for her own money, causing Naruto to look at her strangely.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Did you drop something?"

"No, I'm just looking for my money," she said.

She stopped as he began to vigorously shake his head from side to side.

"No, no, I'm paying! Don't worry about it!" he said.

"Oh, okay," she said quietly, inwardly sighing in relief.

She had a sinking feeling that her currency would not be accepted in this village, or anywhere else in this world. Above the brim of her bowl, she saw Teuchi smile to himself. Apparently Naruto saw it too, for he voiced a question a second later.

"What was that smile for?" he asked.

"It's just nice to see you take care of your girl," he remarked.

Kagome's face faltered while Naruto choked on his mouthful of ramen.

"She's not my girlfriend!! We just met!!" he spluttered, while the old man just shook his head disbelievingly with the same smile.

"So is that all?" he asked.

"Yep. I've got training later, so I can't have too much right now," he said while stretching out his arms.

As Ayame cleared up their dishes, Naruto handed Teuchi the bill before standing up and stretching again.

"Hey, well I have training soon, so you can come watch me if you want……..," he trailed off, staring off into the sky.

"Yeah, I'd like to," she replied earnestly.

He stared back at her in shock.

"Really?! Great!!" he yelled excitedly.

"But we have to hurry, or we'll be late!"

Grabbing her arm again, they took off once more away from the shop and off to wherever Naruto steered them. Their route led them away from the shops and bustle of the streets into more rural and foliated area, less inhabited by villagers. The trees became much closer, and the boughs became full of leaves. Grass became prominent instead of dirt, the few shoots changing into small patches and then into a clearing full, much like the one they were just entering.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto suddenly yelled, bringing Kagome's attention to the overlooked pink-haired kunoichi.

"Hey Naruto," she returned.

"Hello Kagome."

"Hello," said priestess responded.

"Sensei's not here?" he asked.

"Nope, but that's not unexpected," Sakura replied.

True. But where's Sai?" Naruto said while looking around.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him," Sakura said.

"Sai won't be joining us today. He's on an official mission for the Hokage," an unfamiliar voice spoke.

The three turned around to spot the newcomer to the field. A spiky silver-haired man stood before them, a dark mask covering most of his face, his headband slanted over one eye, and his one visible eye reading out of a small green book.

"Hey guys," he greeted nonchalantly.

"You're late!" both ninja yelled furiously at him.

"Yes, well, I got lost on the path of life," he remarked, his one eye curving up as he shut his book.

"Oh," he blinked upon seeing Kagome.

"And who is this?"

"I'm Kagome," she introduced herself, as both Naruto and Sakura still seemed to be angry at his excuse.

"Why, hello. I'm Kakashi Hatake," he said, his eye curving up again as he extended his hand out to her.

She took it without hesitation and they shook. Kagome went to let go of his hand, only to have him still holding onto hers. He released her hand a second later, and she brushed it off as her imagination. Kakashi turned his attention back to his students.

"Today you two will just be sparring with one another. Nothing too big or stressful. Just try not to kill him Sakura," Kakashi commented lightly.

The pink-haired kunoichi smiled at the scowl on her teammate's face.

"Will do," she said.

Both ninjas walked off into the center of the field and stood facing each other. Kagome moved out of their way and stood off to the side with Kirara. Her eyes were glued to the two as they stared each other down. A moment later, Sakura lunged forward and threw a punch at Naruto who swiftly dodged her.

The priestess gasped in awe as she witnessed the ninjas' speed. Her eyes widened even more as she saw that where Sakura's fist connected with the ground, a small crater formed from the impact. How strong were these people?!

"Impressive, aren't they?"

Kagome snapped back to reality and turned her head back to face Kakashi when he spoke to her. He had his face buried back in his book and wasn't paying any heed to the battle going on.

"Yes, they are," she replied.

"I can remember not long ago when they were first assigned to me. They were so hasty and reckless- well, Naruto still is, but he's not as bad as he used to be," he reminisced.

"Yeah, I can see him acting like that," she remarked.

"Well, he's been quite a handful to train, but it's really paid off in the en-oops!" he said as his book fell from his hands and onto the ground a few feet away.

Kagome walked over and picked it up back up before returning back to the jonin.

"Oh my. How clumsy of me," he said with what she supposed was a smile behind his mask.

She reached out and placed the book in his palm. In an instant, his hand enclosed around her own. She felt a jolt of something pass through her entire body. It only lasted a few moments before it disappeared. Her hand was released from his as he reclaimed his book.

"Thank-you so much. I was at a really good part too," he told her happily.

The priestess could only stare at him as he became reabsorbed in his book. Did nothing really happen? Or was he just playing it off as nothing? She held the hand that had received the shock in her other one. She was positive something had just happened, but what?

She was interrupted from her thoughts as the two panting students returned to their teacher.

"All done? Good. That's all for today then. I've got to be somewhere, so we'll catch up later," he said, raising a hand in farewell before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Kagome gaping at the spot where he had just been.

"I've got some papers I've got to go over with Tsunade so I'll see you guys later, 'kay?" Sakura said as she turned away with a wave of her hand.

After the pink-haired kunoichi left, Naruto turned to Kagome and folded his arms behind his head.

"So, how did I look out there?" he asked with an intense look on his face.

"You-you looked great!" she said brightly, feeling guilty for missing most of his battle.

He grinned brightly at her and she felt even worse.

"Hey, let's go. I have something else I want to show you," he said.

Nodding her head, she mutely followed him as he led her back towards the village.

* * *

"So," Tsunade said with her eyes shut.

She rolled her chair around to face the jonin.

"What did you find out?"

"Not much," Kakashi said with a sigh.

"I did run a check through her chakra system. She doesn't seem to have very much chakra, probably because she hasn't ever tapped into it, so she wasn't lying when she said she was no ninja. But, I did find she has stores of some other kind of power."

"Other power?" the Hokage asked from behind clasped hands.

"I didn't recognize it as anything I've ever seen before," he said.

"Hmm……," she murmured, closing her eyes and thinking hard.

"Alright. Nothing is adding up with her story and what all you have discovered. You sure she didn't say anything or give you some kind of clue?" she asked her student.

"No," Sakura responded," She seemed really secretive and reserved, like she didn't want anyone to even talk to her."

"I see……okay, tomorrow, she'll be turned over to you for questioning. You might be able to get her to talk, seeing as you've already met," she spoke to the boy before her.

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru mumbled.

"I'll try, but this is troublesome."

"If you can't get her to talk, then she goes to Ibiki. There's not much else that can be done," the Sannin said.

"Tomorrow morning, we send out someone to find and apprehend her and bring her in."

* * *

"Wow!!" Kagome breathed, looking out over the entire village.

"Nice view, huh?" Naruto asked beside her.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, looking down at the quieting streets below.

The two teens were currently atop the Great Hokage Faces overlooking the village. After an extremely long trek and then an even longer climb, they had both made it to the top and stood overlooking the entire length of Konoha.

"How did you ever find this place?" she asked him.

"Well, I found it when I had to clean all the faces off…………..long story," he added on seeing the look on her face.

"I really like coming here. And I only bring my friends with me," he added with a smile.

Kagome's eyes widened and she turned to look at him.

"Friends? You…… consider me a friend?" she asked quietly.

"Of course!" he exclaimed.

"But we hardly know each other!" she said.

"So? I really like you. I can tell you're a good person, even if we haven't known each other very long," he said with another bright smile.

Kagome looked down at her hands miserably. How could one person have such an effect on her? He was making her feel all torn inside. Ever since that incident with Kakashi, she had come to realize she didn't belong here in this world. And Naruto was just making her regret her decision of leaving only that much harder. Cuddling Kirara closer to her, the priestess found herself wondering what she really should do.

* * *

**Done. Sorry if the ending sucked but it's late at night and I'm tired. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi there…..yeah…..saying it's been a while would be an understatement…..^^" For that I apologize quite a lot! But I want this to be a Christmas present/ New Year's present to all so please enjoy!!!**

_Thinking_

"Talking"

Kagome stood quietly in the hallway as Naruto struggled to force his mangled door open, cursing and fuming the whole time. From her position on the priestess's shoulder, Kirara observed the blonde ninja attempting to wrench the door open and the strange behavior of the normally bright and cheerful new master she belonged to.

Perhaps it was because the demon had spent so much time with the girl to know when something was wrong, but the whole time Naruto had been showing Kagome every note worthy spot in the village, he had remained either completely unaware of her sudden mood change since leaving the Hokage faces or was concealing his notice very well. Somehow, though, the cat knew it was the latter. Kirara watched Kagome carefully from her perch, noting the silence surrounding her, distracted eyes, and slightly slumped posture

A cry of success startled the firecat from her observation, as Naruto finally wrestle the door to his apartment open. A triumphant grin stretched across his features over his victory, only to be wiped off as he heaved the door off to the side. Kagome's face gained a small amused smile at his struggle, the first one she had had for some time. Turning to her with a smile, Naruto gestured her into the home first. The priestess strode slowly through the doorframe, followed by Naruto, who tried to drag the door back into place, but gave up with a sigh and left it half way covering the doorway.

* * *

Once both teens were inside the house, Naruto sped into his room to change clothes, while Kagome on the other hand strayed into the kitchen. Slow paces brought her to the sink, where she drew the curtains open on the window. Soft blue eyes stared up into the night sky, watching the twinkling stars blink down on her. There were so many – more than she would ever be able to see back in modern day Tokyo. The moon shone brightly amidst all the stars, bathing the tops of the trees surrounding the apartment in dim light. Another day had passed here…..

She was snapped from her daze as the sound of footsteps pounded across the floor from behind. The priestess turned her head to see Naruto laying on the couch, a triumphant smile adorning his face. Amusement came to her from remembrance of their argument the night before. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly in a failed attempt to smile. The blonde dropped the smile from his face, gaining a concerned look.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"Y-yeah. Of course! I was just thinking how I'll have to actually sleep on the bed now, that's all!" she lied on the spot.

Naruto grinned again and crossed his arms behind his head in apparent victory. She smiled at him, making a convincing one this time.

"I'm just going to freshen up before I go to sleep," she told him before, walking through the bathroom doorframe.

Making sure the door clicked shut behind her, the priestess sighed and pressed her back against the door. Tired blue eyes gazed up at the mirror opposite the petite girl, drinking in the reflection pictured on the glass. Not long after, she had to avert her gaze. She couldn't stand the sight of herself right now.

Spending more time with Naruto had really caused Kagome to think, not just about herself, but of her friends and the actions of her last time in the feudal era. And the more she thought about it, the more disgusted she became.

In the face of danger, with lives of those closest to her hanging in the balance, she had fled.

Ran away in terror.

Escaped to save her own life, while those nearest to her were killed. Sango, Miroku, Kohaku – they all very well may be dead. She probably would never know. She had deserted them in order to live to see another day.

She felt revulsion at herself, for being so cowardly, bolting at the first sign of danger. Were the others okay and was Inuyasha stopped? The frightened doe had no way of knowing.

Eyes shut tightly as she gripped both sides of the sink with her hands.

Then there was now.

She had been thrust into a world foreign to her once more. She had no desire to stay at first, but all that had changed when she had met him.

The loud, brash blonde ninja known as Naruto.

He had taken her in, a complete stranger, and treated her with such kindness and sincerity. He had housed and fed her, taken care of her to such extremes that he carried her around on his back all day just to ease her pain.

She felt at home with him. She barely knew him, but she felt so at ease with him, that she would have guessed she had known him her whole life.

And she had to leave him.

She didn't belong in this world, she knew that – just as she didn't belong in the feudal era. It was very possible that she would cause just as much devastation here, as she had in the past.

And……

Kagome felt deep in her heart fear. Not for herself but for Naruto. She felt that if he and her spent any more time together, something bad would happen to him. She had an unearthly feeling of terrible forthcomings if they were to stay close.

It was better to leave – for the both of them. Once she returned home, she could finish high school and move on with the rest of her life and Naruto could focus on his training to become Hoki - whatever – it – was. It was for the best…..

……or so she kept telling herself…..

Flipping her hair back, the priestess turned the faucet on and washed her face off. She _had _told Naruto she was just going to wash up after all…

Turning off the water, Kagome quietly opened the door and walked back into the previous room. Her train of sight found Naruto fast asleep on the couch, mouth wide open, snoring loudly. An amused smile stretched across her face, before she shook her head and walked off.

Kirara, who had been watching Naruto sleep from the arm of the sofa, leapt off at the emergence of Kagome and curled into her lap as she slid down the kitchen wall onto the floor. Kagome didn't realize how tired she actually was until her eyes began to sag shut, black tresses slipping over her shoulder as sleep began to claim her…

* * *

Kagome's eyes blinked open as Kirara's tails swished across her face. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the priestess glanced up at the window above the sink, seeing darkness all outside. Feeling a weight form in her stomach, she forced herself to rise to her feet as her demon companion leapt onto her shoulder.

Taking special care to tread quietly, Kagome made her way across the tile floor and through the small family room area. She stopped in front of the sofa, where Naruto still lay sound asleep. Blue eyes lidded slightly.

How she wished she could have spent more time with this boy……Her fingers almost sought out his face, but stopped short of reaching his face. Thoughts and actions like those would keep her here longer and might result in him waking up. No matter her tumultuous feelings, she had to keep to her plan – for both of their sakes.

Pulling herself away, she strode quickly to the door. Throwing one last glance at the sleeping form, she grabbed the tattered yellow bag just inside the home, slipped outside and dashed down the hallway.

Trying to keep her noise level to a minimum, Kagome's stomach was filled with butterflies as she finally reached the stairwell and began to descend. A thrill of terror filled her at every small sound, thinking that Naruto had woken and found her missing and was after her.

Finally hitting ground floor was a relief to the young girl as she pushed the door to the outside open and slipped out of the apartment building. Darkness was still everywhere, but just over the horizon faint streaks of pink and yellow were beginning to appear, announcing the soon arrival of the sun to the world.

She had to move fast.

Trying to move quickly while still keeping herself from running through the village was terribly difficult. There wasn't a soul on the street besides the priestess and the two-tails, making her feel exposed and watched at all times.

There were many wrong turns and false navigation as she tried to maneuver her way through the maze of a village. She remembered Naruto told her he had found her by the well outside the village gates in the forest. She had managed to retain this piece of information to use in her escape. Now if only she had paid more attention to the ninja as he showed her around the village the previous day…..

Rounding the corner of a home, she drew a sharp intake of breath as she spotted the giant gates leading out of the village. She was so close!!!

Her heart was in her throat as she snuck towards the exit, slinking in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. As she drew nearer, she heard a loud yawn. Without thinking, she threw herself behind the nearest building and waited to hear them right over her.

However, luck was on her side, as the ninja who had created the noise was sitting inside of a small wooden structure (A/N: how would you describe that thing the guys in Shippuden were in when they spotted Naruto and Jiriaya returning in the first episode?) sleepily chatting with someone she couldn't see.

Without warning, Kirara leapt off her shoulder and bounded over and leapt up on the counter in front of the two men. She heard the gasps of astonishment from them, giving her a moment to sneak over and slip behind the building. Kagome could almost feel the sweat forming on her forehead as she shimmied along the back of the building, hearing occasional murmurs from the men housed inside. Reaching the other side, she began to tiptoe towards the exit, hoping with all her might safe passage to the outside.

To her astonishment and relief, she remained undiscovered as she silently passed through the gates, making sure to walk quietly until she was 20 feet away from the village. Then she ran.

Into the woods she bolted, hoping to remain undiscovered. A heartbeat later, Kirara was bounding along beside her, taking the lead and steering them in the right direction. After a few minutes, the well came into their sights. A giant weight lifted from her as she realized they had actually made it.

Picking up the cat demon from the ground, Kagome walked up the well and touched its lip. The same well that connected her well to the feudal era….it made her briefly wonder if it was connected to other worlds as well…

Not pausing much to ponder, she swung her legs over the edge and balanced on the top. Taking one last look at the sky of the ninja world, she pushed herself off, falling into familiar blue void as she traveled back to her world…

* * *

Feet finally touched ground and the surroundings turned dark once more. Looking up, Kagome sighed in relief as she saw a dark wood roof over her head. The well house….she was home…

Kagome began the climb up the well, stepping up the rungs of the ladder placed inside. Pulling herself out of the top, the teen let the demon jump back down to the ground as she pulled the well house doors apart.

The shrine grounds were as quiet as always, occasional cherry blossoms drifting down from the trees. Kagome began to walk towards the main house, Kirara trotting beside her, staring around at the new surroundings.

Pushing open the front door, the entire house was unlit and silent.

"Momma? Grandpa? Souta?" she called softly, shutting the door behind her.

Silence was her answer.

Bare feet padding across the wood floor of the front hallway, she made her way into the kitchen. The counters and table were clean, looking as if they hadn't been used in days.

"Momma?" she called again, Kirara leaping up onto the counter and staring around.

Her eyes spotted a large note taped to the fridge. Peeling it off, blue eyes skimmed its contents.

_Dear Kagome,_

_If you read this, we're visiting your cousin Musashi in China. He's taken ill and we will be spending time with him in the hospital. Be back in a week. Love you lots!_

_-Momma_

_P.S. – there is canned food in the cupboard – wasn't sure when you'd come home._

Sighing, she placed the note back on the fridge before turning on her heel and walking up the stairwell to her room. Throwing her "bag" on the floor, she slipped in the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Flipping on the fan, she began to undress, letting her kimono pool around her feet. Stepping into the shower, she turned the water on and leaned her head back as she was greeted by lukewarm water.

Running her fingers through her hair, Kagome began massaging shampoo into her hair. She could feel the dirt and grime washing out of her hair, making sure to get her ebony locks as clean as possible. Next she conditioned her hair until she could slide her fingers through her hair without resistance.

She then grabbed the soap and began to scrub. She left no inch unclean, washing herself all over, perhaps in an attempt to wash away all that had happened to her in the past few days….

When she could no longer find something to clean, she sunk down to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. She let the shower water rain down upon her, flattening her hair against her head. Her eyes stared at nothing as she tried to steady her racing mind.

Naruto and his ninja world – she had been thrown into them forcefully. But now she was home – and there was no going back now. It was for the best, she reminded herself.

So why then did she feel like crap?

Feeling as if she had drowned in the shower long enough, she stood and turned off the water, before stepping out into the misty bathroom and wrapping herself in a towel.

Toweling off her damp hair, she opened the door and reentered her bedroom. Grabbing her hairbrush from off her dresser, she seated herself on the bed and began to brush her hair out. When she could no longer find a snag or tangle, she put the brush back and rummaged through her drawers. Finding an old t-shirt, she pulled it on and plopped down onto her bed.

She reveled in the softness of her comforter and pillows, eyes closing and inhaling the sweet smell of the fabric softener. She had missed them so much…..

Her mind flashed back to a night spent uncomfortable shared on a small couch.

Her eyes reopened and narrowed. No – she couldn't keep thinking of that!!! She had left that world for good. There was no use in remembering anything from the past few days.

That chapter of her life was finished.

Sighing softly, she leaned over to the bedside table and set her alarm. With a little sleep, she would return to school and resume her studies. That should keep her mind distracted.

Cuddling into herself, Kagome let her tired mind slip into sleep. Her dreams were haunted, however, by a loud blonde-haired ninja with a large grin and whisker-markings on his cheeks…..

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto awoke with a loud yawn. He had determined, as he stretched out his back, that the couch was more comfortable when sleeping on it alone, but not nearly as comfortable as a real bed.

Smacking his lips together, he trudged into the kitchen and filled a glass with water before taking a long drink. Staring out the window, he glared at the too-bright sunlight before carelessly putting the cup in the sink. Walking into the bedroom, Naruto yawned and stretched again.

"Man, I'm still sleepy….how'd you sleep Ka….go….me…..," he trailed off when he found the bed before him to be empty.

He stared at it for a while longer, as if he looked at it long enough, a body would suddenly materialize spontaneously in it. Realizing after a minute his eyes weren't deceiving him, he paced to the bathroom. He looked inside to find it empty, no girl within its depths.

Racing back into the bedroom, he jumped onto the bed and felt the pillow and blankets. They were all cold. She was gone.

Cursing loudly, he leapt off the bed and pulled on his clothes as fast as he could…..

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Bells began trilling in her ear as Kagome's eyes fluttered open. She groaned slightly as she knocked the clock silent. Her sleep wasn't as peaceful as she had hoped, having dreams of Naruto the whole time. Rolling out of bed, she avoided disturbing Kirara, who had joined her sometime during her slumber. She began to move about the room, getting ready for school. She pulled out her uniform and began to change, dropping her shirt on the floor before kicking it under her bed for later.

As she hooked on her bra, Kagome's eyes locked onto her shoulder's reflection in the mirror. The dark, red scars were prominent against her ivory skin. She was once again reminded of Inuyasha and how easily she had been healed by the female ninja back in the Hidden Leaf Village. She knew how to heal minor cuts, but to heal like that would be wonderful to learn to do…..

Shaking her head of such thoughts, Kagome grabbed her top and pulled it on over her head before tying her kerchief at her neck. A day at school might help her keep her mind distracted, she thought as she shoved her books into an intact bag. The girl walked back out her door and began to trudge downstairs……..

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tsunade sifted through the paperwork on her desk with a twitching brow. How could there still be so much to sign and read?!?!? Almost robotically, she signed paper after paper and handed them to Shizune, who stayed close by to make sure she actually did the work.

A satisfied sigh escaped her mouth as she finally reached the bottom of the pile. One sheet left!!! Quickly signing it, she handed it to Shizune's pile. Finally done – all signed and organized. She allowed herself to lean back in her chair and cross her arms across her stomach. Finally she could relax….

The door was suddenly and violently thrown open.

It was all she could do from toppling backwards over her chair as a black and orange blur streaked into the office. It connected with Shizune who was thrown to the ground, all the paperwork in her arms sent flying.

Tsunade watched all her hard work fly through the air, a vein beginning to pulse in her temple.

"Na…ru…to……," she hissed, with the fury of a volcano before it exploded.

"Granny Tsunade!!!" Naruto yelled, jumping up from the floor.

"Did you take Kagome back to the hospital?!"

All anger evaporated from the Hokage, her eyes widening.

"No," she replied.

"Why would you ask something like that?"

"Cause when I woke up this morning she was gone and I can't find her!!!" he said, as Tsunade and Shizune glanced at each other with similar expressions.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked after noting their sudden change in behavior.

"Call the ANBU," Tsunade commanded Shizune, as her apprentice raced off to summon them.

"We have a fugitive on the loose."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kagome walked across the street to the entrance of the school grounds. It had been quite some time since she had last attended any classes – she wouldn't even know what was going on in any of her subjects….

"Kagome!" three familiar voices chorused.

She turned her head to see Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi running up to her.

"Hi guys," she answered as they finally caught up with her.

"So did your tests come back positive with malaria?" Ayumi asked her gently.

Kagome sweat dropped as they all looked at her expectantly.

"Err….no….it was just a fluke, only a bout of the flu!" she lied through her teeth, sweat dropping again as her friends nodded their heads in understanding.

"So Kagome….," Eri started.

"How's your two-timing boyfriend been?"

"Well…..I'm never going to see him again…," she answered honestly.

All three girls gasped.

"You broke up?!?! Did he break up with you or did you break up with him?" Yuka pressed for information.

"I left him," Kagome answered, not even bothering to try and hide the truth from them.

Eri hugged Kagome to her.

"Good for you!!! He was no good for you, you can do much better!" she exclaimed.

The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

"You know Kagome, Hojo's been awfully concerned about you recently…," Yuka said with a grin.

"He's tried visiting your house several times already to see you."

"We can tell him where to find you if you want!"

"No thanks guys…," she replied, before walking towards the building.

"Why not?!" Eri gasped as they all caught back up with her.

"I really don't need a boy in my life right now, ok?" she sighed.

Eri and Yuka both only gained scowls for lacking their enthusiasm while Ayumi looked at her strangely. Kagome sighed. Coming to school was now looking like a very bad idea indeed….

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Naruto will you be quiet!!!" Tsunade growled at the genin in front of her.

"No – not until you stop talking about her like that!!!" Naruto hurled back, glaring ferociously at the Hokage seated before him.

The ANBU in the room watched the current battle between the Hokage and Nine-Tail's Jinchuuriki from behind their masks, waiting for orders from their leader. Shizune stood near the Fifth, glancing frantically between her master and the young boy exchanging death glares.

"If she really fled the village when she's due for questioning, she's a fugitive Naruto – I'm not going to mince words over this," she snapped.

"But you don't know that!!" Naruto yelled slamming his hands onto her desk.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

"I'm done arguing with you Naruto!" she growled, turning to the ANBU.

"Find Kagome Higurashi and bring her back."

The Black ops nodded their heads before vanishing in smoke. Naruto ran to one of the windows in the office and opened it.

"And what do you think you're doing Naruto?!" Tsunade glowered at him.

He turned and stared her defiantly in the eye.

"I'm going to find Kagome myself!" he yelled before leaping out the window down to the village below.

Tsunade glared at the spot he had just recently vacated for a minute before sighing and shaking her head. Maybe Naruto would be able to find her. Personally, she hoped he did…..

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kagome sat with her chin resting on her palm, not even trying to listen to the instructor droning on and on. Her eyes stared up into the bright blue sky, watching the passing of the clouds and stray birds.

She was constantly wondering what Naruto was doing at that exact moment in his world. Did he know she was gone yet? How did he react to her missing from his home?

She shook her head, angry at herself. Why was she still thinking of him? She was finally back home – home in her real world. She now could get back to her normal life, without any distractions. Picking up her pencil, she began to scribble notes from the board, trying to pay attention.

Not even a minute later, though, she found herself zoning out once more, looking back out the window.

_What are you doing Naruto?......_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto shot through the village, using the roof tops to navigate past the bustle of the people on the streets. His eyes narrowed slightly.

_Kagome….why'd you leave all of a sudden?_

There had been no warning, she had just up and left without a single clue. Well….she had acted a little weird before he went to sleep….but it still didn't prepare him for this!

And then Tsunade – going and calling her a criminal.

The genin's teeth ground together angrily. She was no criminal! She had actually had the nerve to call Kagome something like that – it really pissed him off! He had to find her – he had to bring her back.

Leaping off the roof, he landed running on the ground. Where could she have gone? That was the real question. He had already scoured the village – she was no longer within its boundaries.

His gaze turned towards the entrance to the village. Maybe…..

Redirecting himself, he made his course for the gates. Bounding out of the confines of the village, he darted into the forest. Only a minute later, he came to a stop just in front of a clearing. Walking forwards, he approached the well sitting right in the middle of the glade. This is where he had found her, maybe she had come back this way.

Peering inside, all he saw was darkness. Thinking quickly, Naruto tried to tie any loose ends together. He had seen her climb out of this exact well only a few days ago.

_Out of it……_

The jinchuuriki could think of no other option. It may be insane, but it was the last lead he had.

With a push off the top, he leapt into the well, only, to his shock, to not touch ground, but fly through where the ground should have been, before being surrounded by blue light….

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kagome sat with her head hanging, staring blankly at her paper. No matter her efforts, she couldn't focus on anything. Her friends had noticed too that something was off with her, but none pressed her, thinking she still was feeling "sick".

The priestess twirled her pencil in her fingers with a sigh. She couldn't wait for this day to be over – coming to school today was one of the worst ideas she had had in a long time. It was one of the most boring days she had ever been in school to witness.

Shouts came from down the hallway.

Kagome's head snapped up and looked at the door. The rest of her classmates did the same, some exchanging bewildered looks. The teacher stopped speaking and stared out the door before walking into the hallway to investigate.

One bold student followed and soon the whole class was looking out the door to find out what was going on. Kagome found herself following everyone else, looking down the hallway to see the crowd forming outside one classroom.

The masses started moving in their direction, running together to another classroom. One student broke off from the group and came in the direction of their class.

"What's going on?" Yuka asked him.

"There's someone on the roof outside the building!" he exclaimed.

"He was just peering into our classroom before he leapt off to the next room's window!"

There were whispers of 'wow!' and 'no way!' as the boy insisted the truth of his story. There was suddenly more yelling and the masses of students flocked towards their room. Kagome and the rest of her class ducked back through their door, looking towards the windows.

And sure enough, there was a person looking through the window. An eerily familiar person, garbed in black and orange, was gazing into the classroom, as if searching through the students for something.

Kagome stiffened.

_Naruto?!?!_

The ninja stopped dead in his search as his eyes connected with Kagome's. He pressed his hands against the glass and yelled something inaudible to her.

Without a moment of hesitation, Kagome turned on her heel and ran, pushing through the crowds of people to get out of the classroom. She heard Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi yell for her as she sprinted down the hall but she ignored them. Hurdling down the flight of stairs, the priestess hit ground level running.

Bursting through a set of doors, she ran down the pavement to the street. Behind her, she heard something hit the ground and she tried to move faster. Rounding the corner, she could hear the distinguishable sounds of footsteps behind her, closing in on her. She was out of breath, trying to flat out sprint, but hadn't the energy to do so.

The footsteps were right behind her now – she stumbled a bit but kept going. A hand enclosed around her arm, bringing her to a stop. She fought him, trying to wrench her arm out of his grasp.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, trying to drag herself away.

"What's wrong with you Kagome?!?!" Naruto asked, not giving in an inch to her.

He had tracked her all the way here, gone from window to window looking for her and when he finally found her, she ran from him!!!

"Why…," she started, causing him to snap to attention.

"Why did you come for me?"

He blinked in confusion.

"Why? I want you to back that's why!"

"Why would you want me back? I left you – you shouldn't have come for me!!!" she yelled, struggling once more, though his strength proved too much for her.

"Cause we're friends!" he shouted, causing her to cease her movement.

"But…."

He barely heard her whisper; he had to strain to hear her correctly.

"If you knew what I was….what I'd done….you wouldn't want to be friends with someone like me….," she whispered, staring at the ground and still refusing to look at him.

"Of course I would – tell me what's wrong!" he pleaded.

"You don't understand!-" she started.

"Then help me to understand!" he said.

The wind blew her hair about, along with the tails of his headband as the silence between them stretched. For a long time, she was silent, and Naruto thought she wouldn't talk to him. Then, she began to speak. And she told him everything.

She told him about the feudal era, her mission, her friends, and what had happened to her before she suddenly showed up in his world. When she had finished, she became quiet again as Naruto digested all that she had said.

"See," she spoke as he remained silent, "You're better off without someone like me around."

"Everyone has their crosses to carry Kagome," Naruto said softly, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"You have had bad things happen to you – just like me…."

Kagome's eyes grew wider, absorbing what he said.

"You would accept me…even though I'm broken and scarred…..," she spoke quietly.

"Broken things can be mended and scars can be healed over time Kagome," he said.

"Besides, I'm broken too. You and I are one in the same"

"Come on – let's go Kagome," he said gently.

The girl spun around and launched herself into him, tears spilling down her cheeks. Recovering himself, Naruto stroked her hair speaking words of comfort as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"You really want me to come back?" she gasped through her tears.

He smiled down at her.

"Of course. I still have to get you back for weaseling out of sleeping in the bed again," he teased.

"Naruto…," she cried.

_Thank you…_

* * *

Tsunade marched towards the entrance to the village. She had been alerted by ANBU of two approaching people from inside the forest. As she grew closer, the two people in question came into clearer focus, showing themselves to be Naruto and Kagome entering through the gates.

"You two!" she yelled, causing both to snap their heads up and stare at her.

"Where have you been?!?! Miss Higurashi, you are needed for questioning which you -"

"I know," she cut her off, "And I'm here to answer all your questions."

"After all……"

She smiled up at Naruto.

"I'll have plenty of time to answer them now, seeing as I'll probably be here for a while."

* * *

**Blah that took forever to write! To all my readers – gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai! (sorry, sorry, sorry)!!! I can't apologize enough to you!!! It's entirely unacceptable, the wait I put you guys through for this chapter. However, I've had a lot going on – I had trouble in one of my classes, my dog Luke died, I had so much schoolwork and hockey, I just couldn't really do anything for the longest time. I really hope you guys forgive me!!! And I'm already brainstorming the next chapter!!! And I promise – the wait will not be as long as this one!!! Gomen nasai again!!!!!**

**A couple more things: I really want to know, does anyone know what Ginga Nagareboshi Gin or Ginga Densetsu Weed are? Cause if no one does, then I won't bother with one of my ideas for stories….. Just so you all know, I have a notebook of ideas, so there will probably be a poll up on my profile with some of my possible plans! That's all for now – ja ne!!! **

* * *


End file.
